How to Lose 30 Pounds in 2 Months Safely and Easily
Losing weight safely should be your goal. Is it possible to lose 30 pounds in 2 months without dreadful side effects?
Starting on a weight loss journey is exciting and nerve-wracking, especially if you’re unsure where to begin.
How often should you exercise? What does a healthy diet look like? Are all processed foods bad? The questions are endless.
Our diet and exercise experts are here to talk about weight loss and how to lose 30 pounds in 2 months.
We will go over a healthy weight loss diet, realistic expectations of a weight loss goal, and some of the side effects of losing weight quickly.
How Fast Can I Lose 30 Pounds?
To lose 30 pounds, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends losing 1 to 2 pounds per week. This means that losing 30 pounds could take as little as 4 months or as long as 7 months. As strange as it may seem, losing weight is the easy part!
According to the CDC, losing weight slowly and steadily is the healthiest way to have consistent and controlled weight loss. When you lose weight gradually, you’re more likely to keep the weight off and avoid unpleasant side effects or health issues.
Once you lose 30 pounds, you’ll need to focus on keeping that weight off. Thankfully, the skills you learn while losing weight will allow you to sustain that weight loss better. Losing weight, especially a high number like 30 pounds, isn’t manageable.
It will take time, commitment, and patience. But, if you’re ready to learn how to lose 30 pounds, we’ve got all of the tips and tricks here for you to do so.
Can You Lose 30 Pounds in 2 Months?
Is it possible to lose 30 pounds in 2 months? Well, the answer is complicated.
Yes, in a way. It is possible to lose weight faster than recommended by the CDC, but doing so will come with some consequences.
To lose 30 pounds in 2 months, you will be pushing your body beyond what it is naturally inclined to do when attempting weight loss.
In order to lose 30 pounds in such a short period, your calorie intake will not be enough to sustain your day-to-day physical activity or your mental cognition. Diets that insist that you’ll be able to safely lose a large amount of weight in a short amount of time have a hidden agenda.
How to Lose 30 Pounds in 2 Months: 10-Step Plan
To lose weight, you need to have a weight loss plan. Trying to jump into losing 30 pounds without any guidance may only lead to failure. Here is our 10-step process for losing 30 pounds in 2 months.
#1 Have a plan
You can’t start your weight loss journey without any plan. Take some time to thoroughly research the best ways to lose weight, including a good exercise routine and a healthy diet that fits your current lifestyle.
It’s a good idea to look at the weight loss plans of other people who have a similar lifestyle and weight. Once you’ve got your plan ready, you can start implementing your new lifestyle.
#2 Reduce your calorie intake
The basis of weight loss is burning more calories than you consume. Calories are our body’s energy source, but they’re also what our body uses to store fat and gain weight. Burning more calories than you eat will burn off weight gain.
A diet with a calorie deficit will help you start losing weight even if you haven’t got the exercise part down yet. Figure out your specific calorie deficit and reduce your intake to allow your body to start burning fat.
#3 Drink more water
Our bodies need more water than you probably realize. The best way to lose weight is to build healthy habits. Staying hydrated helps your body with every process that it goes through, including burning fat and weight loss. Make sure you’re drinking the recommended amount of water each day.
#4 Avoid carbs
To lose weight and encourage fat loss, your body needs a new energy source. Avoiding carbs and starting on a keto diet might help you get over that initial hump when reducing your body weight.
Eating a high-protein diet with lean meats and vegetables like cabbages, broccoli, zucchini, and cauliflower is very effective. Avoiding junk food and carbs like rice (white and brown rice), processed carbs like crisps, and fruit juice will allow you to reduce your body fat.
#5 Incorporate exercise into your routine
To help with weight loss, you need to start exercising. Whether aerobic exercise, weight training, or cardio exercises, exercise is good for weight loss and will give you more leeway in your meals, allowing you to burn off any excess calorie intake.
Exercise is also good for your overall health. It helps reduce your blood pressure, strengthen your muscles, build muscle mass, and reduce heart disease risk.
#6 Concentrate on yourself
Don’t compare your experiences and your journey to anyone else’s. Whether you’re looking to lose 30 pounds or 3 pounds, your experiences will never perfectly align with someone else’s. Take this time to focus on yourself, your own body, and your mind. An essential part of weight loss is keeping your peace.
#7 Eat whole foods
To lose weight, you need to eat healthy foods. Reduce your intake of processed foods and focus on healthy fats, lean protein, whole grains, and vegetables with soluble fiber. These foods will help you lose weight, but they’ll benefit your health in other ways, too.
Keep away from foods that have empty calories and no nutrients, like processed foods and junk foods. While they may be tasty, you may struggle to lose weight if you keep eating them. Once you get healthy eating habits, you’ll find that you lose weight quickly.
#8 Take care of your gut
Your body is a well-oiled machine. When one part of your body doesn’t work well, the rest will have difficulty keeping up. Making sure your digestive tract and your gut health are optimal will result in more efficient weight loss.
#9 Have a good sleep routine
A disrupted sleep cycle is a one-way ticket to weight gain. When you sleep, your body repairs cells, burns fat, and even burns calories! Getting enough sleep during the night will benefit both your weight loss goals and overall health.
Poor sleep is one of the top causes of falling off the healthy lifestyle wagon. Get enough sleep to stay alert and focused on your goals.
#10 Have a support group
Finally, you don’t have to do it alone! Having a support group who can cheer you on during your journey will do wonders for your morale. Even if it’s just one person, like a personal trainer. Weight loss is just as much in the mind as in the body.
Side Effects of Losing 30 Pounds in 2 Months
If you’ve decided to forgo what the CDC says about weight loss, it’s crucial to know what you’re getting into. Here are the possible side effects of losing such a large amount of weight in such a short amount of time.
#1 Dizziness and fatigue
To lose 30 pounds in 2 months, you will essentially be starving your body of the energy needed to make it through the day. You’re bound to feel exhausted, dizzy, and tired, even after a big meal, if you’re not getting enough energy.
#2 Hair loss
Losing weight rapidly can cause hair fallout. This happens when you’re not getting enough nutrients and proteins. If you have thinner hair or lose more hair in the shower than usual, you might want to rethink your diet.
#3 Infertility
Rapid weight loss can cause issues with a woman’s menstrual cycle, which can, in turn, affect their fertility. Women who lose significant weight in a short amount of time often find that they have trouble getting pregnant afterward.
#4 Poor mental health
If you’re not giving your brain enough nutrients, you will suffer from an increased risk of mental health issues. Not to mention, being hungry all the time can cause a whole host of mental health problems!
#5 Eating disorders
Focusing so hard on losing a large amount of weight in a short period can trigger an eating disorder. These disordered eating habits can range from binging and purging to anorexia. Eating disorders in and of themselves can cause related health issues.
If you’re suffering from disordered eating, please speak to a medical professional who can help you. Eating disorders can lead to heart disease, liver problems, kidney disease and can even be fatal in extreme cases.
A Word From Our RD
Struggling to lose weight can be an isolating experience. You may be tempted to try dangerous crash diets or even starvation. If you’re desperate to lose 30 pounds, you may think that anything that gets you to that goal is worth it.
Sustainable weight loss happens slowly over time. The most important thing to focus on the calories burned vs. calories consumed.
A diet with a lower calorie intake and more physical activity might shed pounds quickly, but you’ll be left with muscle loss, unstable blood sugar, and maybe even an eating disorder.
The best way to lose weight is to understand your specific calorie deficit. This might not be the same as someone else’s calorie deficit, even if you both weigh the same. Find a workout routine that works for you. Keep a food journal to help you track your fats, proteins, and carbs.
Stay away from overly processed foods, and encourage your body to burn fat. Not all fats are healthy, though, so make sure you know which will best fit as part of a balanced diet.
Conclusion
Weight loss doesn’t happen overnight. Losing 30 pounds in 2 months may seem like an easy goal, but when you take a step back and see the reality, you’ll understand that it isn’t safe to lose weight so quickly.
To lose weight safely, you should focus on losing 1 to 2 pounds a week. Eat healthily and exercise. Choose a routine that fits your schedule. And most importantly – don’t try to do it alone! Have a support group that can help you on your journey.